Arrangement for exchanging a flint in a lighter



Feb. 13, 1968 L. REIM 3,368,373

ARRANGEMENT FOR EXCHANGING A FLINT IN A LIGHTER 3 Filed March 18, 1965 2 Sheefis-Sheet 1 /d a A L. REIM 3,368,373

ARRANGEMENT FOR EXCHANGING A FLINT IN A LIGHTER Feb. 13, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1965 INVENTGR United States Patent 3,368,373 ARRANGEMENT F011 EXCHANGENG A FLINT TN A LRGHTER Ludwig Reim, Nurnherg, Germany, assignor to Gehruder Koliisch A.G., Number-g, Germany Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,870 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 19, 1964,

K 52,434 1 Claim. (Cl. 67-71) The present invention relates to an arrangement for exchanging a flint in a lighter and, more specifically, is directed to a device of this type in which the leg of a spring resting on the flint is introduced through a slot of a flint channel in a block of a cover plate, while the spring itself extends around a bolt inserted in a casing.

It is an object of this invention to provide an arrangement of the above mentioned type which will greatly facilitate the exchange of a flint in a lighter.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an arrangement as set forth in the preceding paragraph which is extremely simple in construction and reliable in operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through an arrangement according to the present invention for exchanging a flint in a lighter.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line lIlI of FIG. 1 illustrating the flint holding spring in effective position.

FIG. 3 illustrates a section similar to that of FIG. 2 but with the flint holding spring in its ineffective position.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the lighter with the cap-like housing broken away.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the arrangement shown therein comprises a flint 1 and a flint spring 3 provided with a leg 2 which when the lighter equipped with the flint is in condition for use resiliently and under tension rests against face 1a of flint stone 1. The lighter equipped with the arrangement according to the invention has a cover plate 7 with a block 6 in which is provided a passage for receiving flint 1. 'Passage 5 has a slot 4 through which leg 2 of spring 3 is passed.

As will be seen from the drawing, spring 3 is coiled around bolt 9 and has its end 10 anchored in a slot 11 of the lighter housing 8. Bolt 9 has its lower end provided with a thread 12 which is screwed into a corresponding thread 18 of the lighter housing 8 and is selflocking. Either the entire housing 8 or at least that portion which is threadedly engaged by bolt thread 12 is of such synthetic material as to bring about a self-locking effect with regard to the threaded bolt portion 12. Such synthetic material is, for instance, acetal resin or polyamide. Bolt 9 has a head 13 which is provided with an adjusting groove 14 adapted to receive the edge of a coin for adjustment of bolt 9. Between shank 9a of bolt 9 and bolt head 13 there is provided a section 15 of a polygonal outer contour, for instance of a square shape which is non-rotatably engaged by a guiding bushing 16 with a slot 17 best seen in FIG. 3 which serves as guide for the free end of leg 2 of spring 3. When bolt 9 is turned in clockwise direction with regard to FIG. 3 by a coin inserted in slot 14 of bolt head 13, edge 17a of slot 17 in bushing 16 engages leg 2 of the spring 3 and causes said leg to move away from end face In of flint 1 so as to permit an easy removal of flint 1. After a new flint has been inserted, bolt 9 is turned in counter-clockwise direction with regard to FIG. 3 so that edge 17a of slot 17 will release leg 2 and cause the latter resiliently to engage ice flint 1 and to hold the same in its working position against the flint wheel. Edge or end 17b of slot 17 is spaced from end or edge 17a so that leg or arm 2 of the spring will have free circumferential movement in slot 1'7 to maintain a resilient bias on flint 1 at all times while the flint is held pressed in its Working position.

As will be seen from the drawing, the arrangement shown therein furthermore comprises an ignition wheel 19, a drive wheel 20, a filling valve 21, and a burner 23. The ignition flame is designated with the reference numeral 22. Furthermore, a coupling is provided between the ignition wheel 19 and the drive wheel 20.

Another characteristic of the arrangement according to the present invention, consists in that screw bolt 9 is provided with a thread 12 which engages a corresponding thread 18 in housing 8 in a self-locking manner. This selflocking is greatly desirable because the lighter is held in one hand whereas the other hand of the person holding the lighter is used for adjusting bolt 9, and the free leg 2 of spring 3 must, during the insertion of the flint, not spring back. The present invention is furthermore characterized by the polygonal section 15 below the bolt head, on which section there is mounted bushing 16 with transverse slot 17 for guiding spring leg 2 while the spring presses this bushing 16 in axial direction against bolt head 13.

It is to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawing, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

1. In a lighter having a casing with upstanding block means having a bore therein forming a flint passage: a bolt having a head and a shank and also having a threaded section at the free end of said shank, said casing having a threaded bore disposed laterally from the axis of said flint passage and receiving said threaded bolt section in a self-locking manner but permitting rotative adjustment of said bolt by exertion of torque thereon by a tool, coil spring means surrounding said bolt shank and having that one of its ends which is remote from said head stationarily anchored to said casing, the other end of said spring means being adjacent said head and forming an arm extending radially outwardly with regard to said shank in the plane of said flint passage and of such a length as to extend across said flint passage, said spring arm being adapted for selective movement toward and away from said flint passage, said spring means continuously biasing said spring arm toward a flint in said flint passage, and bushing means having a transverse slot and surrounding said bolt at the head end thereof while being axially slidably mounted on said bolt but non-rotatively connected thereto for rotation with said bolt, said spring arm extending through said slot and being engageable by at least that one end wall of said slot toward which the spring arm is biased so that rotation of said bolt in one direction will cause said one end wall of said slot to engage said spring arm and retract it from said flint passage whereas rotation of the bolt in the other direction will move the spring arm toward the flint passage and cause said spring arm resiliently to engage a flint in said passage, said block means having a slot on the side toward said bolt opening into said flint passage for receiving said spring arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS EDVVARD J. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A LIGHTER HAVING A CASING WITH UPSTANDING BLOCK MEANS HAVING A BORE THEREIN FORMING A FLINT PASSAGE: A BOLT HAVING A HEAD AND A SHANK, AND ALSO HAVING A THREADED SECTION AT THE FREE END OF SAID SHANK, SAID CASING HAVING A THREADED BORE DISPOSED LATERALLY FROM THE AXIS OF SAID FLING PASSAGE AND RECEIVING SAID THREADED BOLT SECTION IN A SELF-LOCKING MANNER BUT PERMITTING ROTATIVE ADJUSTMENT OF SAID BOLT BY EXERTION OF TORQUIE THEREON BY A TOOL, COIL SPRING MEANS SURROUNDING SAID BOLT SHANK AND HAVING THAT ONE OF ITS ENDS WHICH IS REMOTE FROM SAID HEAD STATIONARILY ANCHORED TO SAID CASING, THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING MEANS BEING ADJACENT SAID HEAD AND FORMING AN ARM EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY WITH REGARD TO SAID SHANK IN THE PLANE OF SAID FLINT PASSAGE, SAID SPRING ARM BEING EXTEND ACROSS SAID FLINT PASSAGE, SAID SPRING ARM BEING ADAPTED FOR SELECTIVE MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FLINT PASSAGE, SAID SPRING MEANS CONTINUOUSLY BIASING SAID SPRING ARM TOWARD A FLINT IN SAID FLINT PASSAGE, AND BUSHING MEANS HAVING A TRANSVERSE SLOT AND SURROUNDING SAID BOLT AT THE HEAD END THEREOF WHILE BEING AXIALLY SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BOLT BUT NON-ROTATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO FOR ROTATION WITH SAID BOLT, SAID SPRING ARM EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT AND BEING ENGAGEABLE BY AT LEAST THAT ONE END WALL OF SAID SLOT TOWARD WHICH THE SPRING ARM IS BIASED SO THAT ROTATION OF SAID BOLT IN ONE DIRECTION WILL CAUSE SAID ONE END WALL OF SAID SLOT TO ENGAGE SAID SPRING ARM AND RETRACTED IF FROM SAID FLINT PASSAGE WHEREAS ROTATION OF THE BOLT IN THE OTHER DIRECTION WILL MOVE THE SPRING ARM TOWARD THE FLINT PASSAGE AND CAUSE SAID SPRING ARM RESILIENTLY TO ENGAGE A FLINT IN SAID PASSAGE, SAID BLOCK MEANS HAVING A SLOT ON THE SIDE TOWARD SAID BOLT OPENING INTO SAID FLINT PASSAGE FOR RECEIVING SAID SPRING ARM. 